Treacherous
by iceburnings
Summary: Hans' family has disowned him and sent him back to Arendelle for whatever punishment Queen Elsa and Princess Anna see fit. Instead of giving him a punishment on total feeling of what he has done to them in the past, Elsa goes to the dungeon to hear his side of the story. While she is down there they start a bond that cannot be so easily broken.
1. Chapter 1

Elsa made here way down the the dungeon of the castle. She was dressed in her blue gown. It had been her signature look ever since she had come home from the North Mountain. It flowed across the floor elegantly. Swaying with her body to and fro. Elsa came to the bottom of the stairway. The last time she was here she was locked up in her own cell. The dungeon had an eerie feeling to it. It seemed almost haunted. Elsa reached her destination. She turned to knock on the door, but she put her hand back down. She stood there a minute, just looking at the door. After a moment she sighed, bit her lip, and lifted her hand back up. Giving a knock she waited.

"Come in", said a voice from inside the cell.

She strutted into the room and made it look as if she wasn't the least bit nervous.

Elsa said, "Hi." And walked farther in.

"May we talk?", she asked politely.

"Of course" the voice answered.

The man in the cell looked very drained. He was almost lifeless. He was sitting against the wall and had his knees tucked up to his chest. Even though he was obviously young, the bags under his eyes added quite a few years to him. Elsa thought he was nothing like the man she meet on here coronation day. Then he had a bright smile and dancing eyes. The once beautiful Hans, had gone from riches to rags. After his family learned of the events in Arendelle they disowned him. His family sent him back to Arendelle for the whatever punishment Queen Elsa and Princess Anna saw fit.

Elsa asked, "May I sit?"

Hans nodded his head, gesturing towards the cot. Elsa took a seat. Neither of them spoke again for some time. Neither of them knowing what to say.

Elsa finally breaking the silence said, "Anna and I will be coming to our decision about your fate at the end of the week."

With a small huff, Hans said, "That's what the guards keep telling me."

"You know you're not going to have any say in it?"

"Yeah."

"So what is your say in it all?"

"What?"

"I asked, 'What's your say in it all?"'

"You actually care to know?", Hans asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. You were wrong in everything you did, but I think you deserve to be heard."

"Thanks."

A smile crept on Hans' face. This was his chance of hope. He could have been the sole of charm and he could have tried to get out of this mess completely. The look on Elsa's face told him to do otherwise. It told him to tell the truth. "_You're no match for Elsa_" started ringing in his ears. Anna was right. He decided to do something he hadn't done in awhile. Hans was going to be honest.

Hans gave out a sigh, "Where should I start?"

"How about the beginning?"

"Well I guess you know I was 13th in line for the throne of the Southern Isles?"

"Yeah. I've been told that a time or two."

"Right. Okay, the beginning. Well, my brothers never really paid any attention to me when we were growing up. I wasn't lying when I told Anna that they pretended I was invisible. I guess you could say I had a lonely life. Except I had this really good friend. Her name was Helen. She wasn't royal or anything special in that way, but she understood me. We were inseparable. We'd go horseback riding together and swimming in the summer…"

By this time Hans' had a huge grin across his face. He would trail off in his stories remembering times he had with Helen. He'd stop mid- sentence and start laughing to himself. Elsa started smiling too. She could tell Hans was being genuine. He was being himself. After telling Elsa dozens of stories about Helen he stopped and looked blankly at the wall.

"Are you okay, Hans?" Elsa asked worriedly.

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine."

"Do you still see her?"

"Yeah… She's living in the castle as the soon to be queen of the Southern Isles."

"She what?"

"Her and my oldest brother Alexander got married two years ago. You know she didn't even bother to tell me face to face. I didn't know until they announced it at one of the balls."

"That's awful!"

"Yeah. I know. And I didn't even tell you the worst part. She promised me we would get married one day. She made me so many promises. And I believed every one of them."

"What did she say about your marriage?"

Hans gave a said laugh. The kind that happens when someone is trying to hold back tears. Hans then said,"She- she said that she would be queen with him and a forgettable title with me…"

Elsa didn't say anything to him. She just watched the gloss build up in his eyes.

He started talking again. He said, "The night they announced their engagement was the day I swore to myself I would be king one day. That I would get Helen and Alexander back. I would get all of my brothers back. I was going to come out on top. I didn't care what I had to do to get the crown. I was willing to lie, steal, cheat, and kill. I did most of those. And I was so close to doing the last one."

Silence fell between them both until Hans looked Elsa in the eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Elsa didn't know what to say. She couldn't say what he did was okay, but she couldn't be mad. There was too much hurt in his eyes. So Elsa rested her hand on Hans' shoulder and gave him an assuring smile.


	2. Chapter 2

They stayed in that position for awhile, taking in everything that had been said. The room stood still. After what seemed like ages, Elsa removed her hand from Hans' shoulder realizing how long she had been touching him. She pulled back quickly and it startled him. They stared at each other for a moment. Hans looked down breaking their eye contact. Elsa swallowed the knot in her throat and began her story.

"When I was younger Anna and I were really close. She knew about my powers then. She'd come to my room begging me to do the magic all the time. Her favorite thing was building snowmen."

Hans, with an expression of confusion on his face asked, "I thought she didn't know you had any powers? That's what she told me."

"She did at first. But then, well late one night she came to my room wanting to play. I told her no, but she kept persisting. I was never really able to say no and mean it when it came to Anna. So we we went to the ballroom and I made it snow."

She stopped herself to smile at the memory. Everything was so vivid. It seemed like it could have been yesterday.

"We built Olaf that night. You know the now talking snowman? Then he was a regular one, but we skated around the floor with him. Anna and I were laughing the whole time. Then we started to slide down the hills of snow. Anna was hopping from one to another and I was supplying the snow underneath her each time. She started going too fast for me. I couldn't keep up with her. While I was trying to catch her each time with the snow, I slipped… But she kept going. I didn't know what to do. She was falling and my reaction was to reach out and grab her. Being so far away I obviously couldn't. But I reached my hand out to help anyway. And with that I struck her head with ice."

Hans studied her features now. Her eyes were filled with tears, but she didn't let any fall. He was contemplating whether or not to ask any questions. Was this a time that he should prompt her to finish or let her do so on her own time? The look of vulnerability she had right now gave him the feeling that he should wait. Sitting in comfortable silence he did while he watched her. After a few minutes Elsa got herself together and finished her story.

"I was screaming for my parents while tears ran down my face. Dad said he knew where to go for help. We saddled our horses as fast as we could and went to the forest. He took us to this place of what looked like rocks. Then my dad started asking for help and the rocks started shaking. They were trolls. They said she would be okay, but they took away every memory of my powers from her. The trolls kept the memories of fun though. I'm not really sure if that was any good though because it just made it harder for her. I had to shut her out and wasn't able to say why. The trolls told me fear would be my enemy. And it was after that. My dad said to close the gates and eliminate my contact with people. That terrified me. I was always scared of hurting someone. Ya know after that night I never got to hug my parents? I never got to see Anna either… She would come knocking at my door. She'd ask to go outside or to play. And when it was snowing, to build snowmen. All I could say to her was go away. I spent my whole life in solitude."

The air in the cell became significantly colder, but neither of them noticed. Sometimes when Elsa thought of being alone, she had trouble controlling her powers. She shook her head and regained control. She had Anna back now. There was no chance of being alone again. She even had Kristoff, who was a great brother-in-law. While Elsa was recovering herself Hans realized how much alike they were. They were both searching for someone to love. The only difference is he had it and lost it and she lost it and now has it.

"You don't have to be in solitude anymore, Elsa- Queen Elsa," he said clearing his throat. "I'm sorry. It's Queen Elsa."

She smiled at him and said, "Elsa. Elsa is fine. It's what I prefer anyways. 'Queen' is too formal for my taste."

Hans said with a smile spread across his face, "Elsa."

"So what do you prefer? Prince Hans or just Hans?"

"I don't exactly have a title anymore. But I did prefer 'Prince Hans.' It had a nice ring to it," he said tilting his head and giving Elsa a cocky smile.

Huffing, she said, "That sounds about right."

"But I did let friends and family call me Hans. That's what I'll let you call me."

"I'm flattered."

"Hey! Don't be getting sarcastic or you'll have to call me Prince Hans of the Southern Isles."

"No one has time for that, Hans," Elsa said putting a little too much emphasis on his name.

Hans was trying to think of a comeback, but then he locked eyes with hers and he started laughing. Elsa looked at him, wondering what was so funny. But then she got caught up in the moment and started to laugh too. This went on to the point that they were both on the brink of tears and clutching there stomachs. There was nothing extremely funny about anything that happened, but laughs are contagious. Hans' laugh was contagious.

After regaining control Hans said, "You know people don't give you enough credit for your sass."

Giving an eye roll and smiling Elsa said, "It's a gift not everyone knows I posses."

They didn't say anything else. Elsa and Hans just looked at each other with gins plastered on their faces. Suddenly the gin vanished from Elsa. She realized what was happening and who she was with.

In a serious tone she said, "But really. What do you want? Do you want a life sentence to jail? A servant for life? How many years do you think is fair?" Elsa then bit her lip to say the final option of punishment, "Death is an option too. It is what everyone is rooting for…"

Hans was weighing all of what she said in his head.

"Considering I didn't actually kill anyone I don't think death should be it."

"Hans, that doesn't matter. Everyone sees it as you left Anna to die and tried to kill me."

"How do you see it?"

Elsa took a deep breath and said, "The same way, but I see the reasoning behind it."

Hans thought for a moment. He then said, "Do whatever you have to do, Elsa. I'll understand."

Elsa looked at Hans in pure amazement.

"Hans, I can't grasp how you did what you did. Talking to you now, you don't seem rude at all."

"I know. Being here has brought me back to a normal state of mind. Elsa, I was mad.I tried to kill you and I left Anna to die… "

Hans stopped talking. He put both of his hands on his face and dragged them down, giving a large groan, "What did I do? Everything seemed logical. Why was I so possessed with getting the throne? I tried to take over your kingdom, left your sister to die, and tried to kill you…The worst part of it all was leaving Anna to die the way I did. That was the only thing that I didn't have a real reason for. I should have kissed her."

"Hans, even if you did it would not have mattered. You didn't really love her and her heart belonged to Kristoff. She just didn't realize it at the time."

"But I shouldn't have left her with the knowledge that I never loved her, my whole scheme, and that I was planning on killing you."

Elsa didn't say anything. She had too many contradicting thoughts filling her at mind. _Part of him is a charming gentleman who is sweet and kind. On the other hand he is a cunning man who is willing to do anything to get what he was willing to kill me…_

"Hans, I can't say what you did was right, but you can't spend the rest of your life beating yourself up about it."

Hans lifted his head up and gave her a smile.

"Your good at giving advice, Elsa."

"Thanks," Elsa said returning the smile.

Elsa then said, "I should be going now."

She was getting up to go, but as she was heading for the door Hans got up and walked to where she was. He grabbed her hand from behind to stop her from leaving. Elsa swiftly turned around and locked eyes with Hans for a split second. Her eyes the darted to their hands and back to him.

"Thank you, Elsa. Thanks for listening to my side of the what has happened. And for giving me the advice. No matter what is decided I'll always be grateful."

Elsa and Hans exchanged one last smile and with that Elsa was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Elsa and Anna made their way to the meeting room of the castle. They were locked arm and arm, but their minds were very far apart. Anna knew what she wanted the result to be. She wanted Hans to be executed for all the pain he had caused her. Elsa on the other hand was conflicted for what she wanted the turnout to be. Part of her wanted him to live, the other part to die. How could she convince everyone he deserved to live when she was having trouble to convince herself? The person in the cell and the person who tried to kill her were to very different people. Which one was the real Hans? Elsa's mind was swirling and her breathing became irregular.

Worriedly Anna asked, "Elsa, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," Elsa said trying to get her breathing back to normal.

"Are ya sure, Elsa?"

Elsa smiled and said, "Yes, I'm sure just a little nervous I guess."

"Oh, I'm nervous too!"

"What do you have to be nervous about, Anna?"

"I don't know just what if I say the wrong thing?"

"Just say your peace on the matter and you'll be fine."

"Alright. Wait, why are you nervous?"

"Anna, what we decide is a life and death thing. Hans' _life_ is in our hands."

Elsa finished her sentence as they walked into the room. It was painted dark red and it had four large windows. The sun was shining in which gave the room a bright and lively feeling. Elsa took a seat at the head of the long wooden table which was filled on both sides with dignified men and women who had been there from Elsa's coronation to when Hans and the Duke of Weselton were sent away. When she did that she caught sight of Hans in the back of the room. He looked better and more freshened up then the last time she saw him. Hans had a guard standing on his left side. He gave Elsa a smile and she gave him a head small head nod that only he noticed. Anna took the seat on Elsa's right as she gave smiles everyone. Elsa then cleared her throat, signaling the talking to stop. Everyone's attention turned to her and the "trail" had begun. Many of the people expressed their views on the matter. Most of which said more or less that he should be dead within the week.

"Your majesty, he would have killed you. The only proper punishment would be death," said the Duke of Jypton.

Anna said, "He also left me to die. I'm not even sure why this is a discussion."

"Because it's fair, Anna!" said Elsa in a harsh tone.

They room became silent. All eyes on Elsa, wondering why she was being so hostile. Hans was on the edge of his seat now, knowing Elsa was his only chance of living.

The Princess of Corona spoke up and said, "Elsa, what do you think should happen to Hans? You haven't said a word either way."

Elsa took a deep breath and said, "I don't think he should die." Some of the men and women in the room gasped, including Anna. She then continued, "I know what he was would have done… To me and to Anna, but I just don't think death should be his punishment. He deserves life as a servant or life in prison, but not death…"

The heat in Anna's cheeks began to rise as she screamed, "Elsa, he was about to chop your head off!"

"I know! But if it wasn't for him I would still be shut in my room and you and I would still be strangers! And for that I am grateful that this all happened! Do none of you see that I discovered how to control my powers because of what he did?"

The whole room stood still. Elsa's heart was beating out of her chest and she was sure the whole room could her it. Anna sat back in her chair digesting what Elsa had just said.

One of the dukes that neither Anna nor Elsa had formally been introduced to said, "I think servant for life would be fitting."

Anna then repeated "servant for life" in a whisper and nodded at Elsa, telling her that would be the punishment.

Elsa stood from her chair and looked directly at Hans. She said, "I sentence the former Prince Hans of the Southern Isles to the life of a servant in the castle of Arendelle for the rest of his life."

When she said this she looked directly into Hans' eyes, searching for his reaction. Hans look right back at her and he gave Elsa a grin and mouthed "thank you." A wave of relief swept over her as she exited the room with Anna following close behind.


	4. Chapter 4

Weeks had past since Hans' trial. Elsa had seen little to none of him. If she did it was just a passing by with a head nod and a smile. The head staff member, Ida, placed Hans as the librarian's assistant. Hans didn't mind the job as much as he thought he would. Reading was one of his favorite pass times when he was in the Southern Isles. The only thing that really bothered him was being cooped up inside all of the time. The head librarian, Professor Agnor, was quite friendly, even to Hans. Maybe he had forgiven him or maybe he didn't care. Hans didn't worry about which it was. He was just happy to have a friend. Professor Agnor was very short. He didn't even come up to Hans' shoulder. He had a long, whitish-gray beard that stopped right above his bellybutton. His glasses were circular with thin, gray rims around the glass. Besides being the librarian, he was one of Anna's favorite tutors. Other than Literature, his favorite subject was science. At night Agnor would take Hans to one of the towers in the castle and he'd teach him about astrology. On account of him being so nice he was friends with everyone in the castle, to some degree. Because of that, he was able to find out secrets about everyone, from the lowest peasant to the queen.

It was late at night and Agnor and Hans were at one of the top towers with Agnor's telescope charting the stars movement.

"You know she's planning on marrying?" asked Agnor.

Without removing his eye from the lens of the telescope, Hans replied, "Who?"

"Why the queen, of course!"

With much dismay Hans slowly lifted his head to look at Agnor and asked, "Who is she planning on marrying?"

"Nobody knows. I heard Princess Anna is planning a ball for her to find her some decent suitors."

Agnor gave him a curious look and inquired, "Are you feeling well? You're not looking so good."

"I'm fine. I'm just tired is all," Hans said, trying to convince himself.

"Why don't you take a seat?"

"No, thank you. It's getting pretty late, Professor. I think I'm going to get some sleep now."

"I think you need it. Are you sure you're fine?"

"Yes. Are you coming?"

"No, Hans. I'm going to finish up here. Goodnight."

"Night," Hans said walking back into the castle.

He walked up to his room in a daze. Hans climbed the back stairs and made his way to his door. When he walked in he didn't bother to change clothes or light a candle. Hans unbuttoned his shirt and threw it on the floor, not caring where it landed. He then sat on the bed and took off his boots. He laid down on the bed without getting under the covers. He was either too tired or too much in thought to do so. Hans was on his back staring at the ceiling thinking about his conversation with Elsa while he was in his cell, remembering how gracious she was when he saved his life. He turned to his side with a final thought of: She'll make a good wife… for someone.

Hans woke up late that morning to the sound of heavy raindrops on the roof. It was a very peaceful sound, so he turned over and tried to go back to sleep. He was just about to doze off, but then Hans remembered where he was, in Arendelle, not the Southern Isles. Here he was a bookkeeper, not a prince. He shot up from his bed and grabbed his boots, quickly strapping them up. He then grabbed his dirty shirt from the floor and buttoned it. As he was running out the door he stopped at the mirror and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to look presentable. He sprinted down the stairs to the library.

He dashed through the door with an apology of, "I'm sorry I'm late! I was so tired and I just over-"

Hans stopped in his tracks when he realized Agnor wasn't in there. Elsa was.

"Hi Hans."

"Hi. Umm where's Professor Angor?" Hans said, awkwardly making his way in.

"I believe he's tutoring Kristoff."

Hans walked over to Angor's desk getting some papers out. He then questioned, "Tutoring?"

"Yes, he decided if he's going to be a Count he should be educated like a royal."

Hans chuckled. He then asked, "So do you need help with anything?"

"I'm just looking for a good book," Elsa said grabbing a large green one.

Hans looked down and remembered how he was dressed and quickly began to finish buttoning his shirt. He then licked his hands to try to tame his hair, while she was flipping through another book.

Turning around, Elsa asked, "Do you have any recommendations?"

Hans smiled and said, "Well that all depends on what kind of books you like."

"Fantasy, romance, anything that's interesting."

Hans walked over to the ladder and climbed up midway. He grabbed a fairly large book and made his way down. Hans sauntered over to Elsa and handed her the book. When she reached out her hand to grab it their hands touched underneath.

They both smiled at each other and Hans said, "I think this'll keep you entertained."


	5. Chapter 5

"_Beauty and the Beast_? That doesn't seem like the type of book you would read," Elsa said in disbelief.

"I know. When Professor Agnor suggested it to me I thought he was kidding," Hans said defending himself.

Elsa, flipping through the pages, asked, "But you did like it?"

"Yeah. It was a great book."

"What made it so good?"

"I love the way it's written. I like the story line and the setting, too."

"I'll look forward to reading it then," Elsa said while flipping through the pages and giving a small chuckle.

"The characters were also very relatable… at least for me."

Elsa lifted her head, and curiously asked, "Which characters do you relate to?"

Sighing, Hans answered, "The beast and Gaston."

"How do you relate to them?"

"I can't say. You haven't read the book," Hans said as he made his way to one of the staircases.

Elsa rolled her eyes, and continued looking in the book.

Hans walked up the stairs, trying to keep his balance as he carried books to be put away. He made it up to the top, but when he he was putting the books on the shelves he tripped. Most of the books went flying forwards, leaving Hans embarrassed that he couldn't keep hold or walk correctly. He quickly glanced towards Elsa to see if she had seen him. Fortunately for Hans, Elsa was too engrossed with the first chapter of _Beauty and the Beast_. Without anymore accidents, Hans finished putting the books up. He looked to were she was standing minutes ago, but she was not there. His eyes searched the room for her, and they found her resting comfortably on one of the couches. She was sitting with her legs across the seats, and her head leaning on the back. Elsa had the world blocked out, and gave her full attention to the book. Hans came down the stairs, and said nothing. He went about his work, making sure not to disturb her. He heard gasps and sighs coming from Elsa. He smiled to himself, feeling proud that he picked a book that she was enjoying. After what felt like only minutes, Elsa looked around the room and saw Hans sitting at Agnor's desk.

"Oh, Hans, I'm so sorry I didn't realize I had been in here so long. I hope I didn't keep you from doing your work," Elsa said worriedly.

"Elsa, it's fine. All you did was sit on a couch and read. Besides this is _your_library," Hans said to reassure her.

Elsa smiled and swooped her feet over the edge of the couch while she stretched her arms.

"So did you like the book so far?" Hans said with a knowing smirk on his face.

"Yes! It's amazing, Hans! You have a gift for recommending books."

"I suppose that's why I was put in the library.

Elsa stood up and nodded, giving a small laugh, "I didn't think it would be this good."

"That's why they say not to judge a book by its cover?".

"Right," Elsa said slowly, as if coming to a realization.

Elsa stood up and looked Hans up and down. She had just now fully noticed the state he was in. His hair was a mess and he had flyaways going in every direction. His shirt was wrinkled and looked like there was some type of stain on it. Hans didn't look like he belonged in Arendelle's castle, more like at a blacksmith's shop. Elsa then looked down at her own clothing. She was a complete contradiction to Hans. For one thing, she had a clean dress on. It had a teal bottom, and a white top. It had cap sleeves, and the skirt was floor length. Small, coral flowers alighned her waist where the two colors met. As Elsa was looking at her attire, Professor Agnor and Kristoff walked in. When Agnor came through the door he noticed Elsa was there and bowed graciously.

Kristoff looked at her puzzled and asked, "What are you doing in here?"

Elsa darted her eyes across the room and then at her book and replied, "Oh, I was looking for a book. How did your tutoring go?"

"Magnificent! Kristoff is very bright. He's come very far in the short time that I've been helping him."

Kristoff looked to the side smiling and somewhat embarrassed. Then he noticed Hans sitting at the table staring at the three of them. His shyness turned to displeasure. This is the first time he had seen Hans since he had come back to Arendelle.

Elsa saw all of the emoting play out on Kristoff's face and quickly said, "That's wonderful, Kristoff. Come on, let's go."

Elsa walked over to Kristoff, tugging on his arm, trying to pull him out the door. Kristoff didn't budge. He stood there staring at Hans. Elsa was debating using her powers on Kristoff, but decided against it. Knowing something dreadful would happen if she didn't get Kristoff to leave, she brought up Kristoff's weakness.

"Anna is going to be so thrilled to hear of your improvement! Let's go tell her now."

With that, Kristoff reluctantly started moving his feet. They each said their farewells to Agnor. They were walking out the door when Elsa stopped and turned around.

"Goodbye, Hans. And thank your for helping me find a book," Elsa said politely, giving a smile.

Grinning, Hans replied with, "You're welcome."


End file.
